Henry County building permits come from the Building and Plan Review Department at 140 Henry Parkway in McDonough, which handles permit issuance, building plan review, and inspections for unincorporated Henry County. McDonough, Stockbridge, Hampton, and Locust Grove permit their own work.
Henry publishes its arithmetic, which makes it one of the easier Georgia counties to estimate. A $27.50 administrative fee applies to all permits unless noted, the minimum permit fee is $82.50, and construction is charged at $4.07 per $1,000 of square footage construction cost valuation.
Applies to unincorporated Henry County. Work inside McDonough, Stockbridge, Hampton, or Locust Grove is permitted by that city — and the City of McDonough runs its own inspection request line with its own cutoffs.
Two affidavits nobody on the design team produces. The Georgia Energy Code Compliance Affidavit is completed by the builder, and the Impact Fee Affidavit covers fees levied to ensure adequate public facilities serve new growth. Assign both explicitly or they arrive late.
What requires a permit in Henry County?
A Henry County building permit is required before construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, demolition, or change of occupancy in unincorporated Henry County, and before installing, enlarging, altering, or replacing regulated electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems. The Building and Plan Review Department handles permit issuance, building plan review, and inspections at 140 Henry Parkway in McDonough.
Henry's cities run their own departments. McDonough, Stockbridge, Hampton, and Locust Grove each permit inside their own limits, and the City of McDonough — which shares an address range with the county office — operates a phone inspection request line with its own cutoffs. Confirm the parcel before you file.
The land disturbance permit must be issued prior to the building permit where land will be disturbed on the property. That is a sequencing rule rather than a parallel approval, and since July 2026 the land-disturbance track carries its own statutory review deadlines with a fee-refund remedy attached.
Georgia moved to the 2024 editions of its State Minimum Standard Codes, with Georgia Amendments, on January 1, 2026. Two things did not move with the rest. The energy code is still the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code with Georgia supplements and amendments, so an envelope or mechanical package built to a newer IECC is being checked against an older one. And the International Existing Building Code (2018) is permissive, not mandatory — it governs your renovation only if that particular city or county adopted it. Two jurisdictions an hour apart can treat the same existing-building alteration under different rulebooks, and neither is doing anything wrong.
Permit required
- New construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, and demolition
- Change of occupancy in an existing building
- Installing, enlarging, altering, or replacing electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems
- Land disturbance, which must be permitted before the building permit issues
- Manufactured home placement, valued on its own basis
- Commercial construction and interior work
- Cell tower projects, which are priced outside the standard valuation rate
Typically exempt
- Painting, flooring, and other cosmetic work
- Ordinary repairs not touching structure or a regulated system
- Work inside McDonough, Stockbridge, Hampton, or Locust Grove — permitted by that city
- Like-for-like replacements that do not alter a regulated system
Henry County building department: who handles permitting
The Building and Plan Review Department is tasked with issuing permits, reviewing building plans, and inspecting for compliance with ordinances, technical codes, and accepted industry practices. It works from 140 Henry Parkway in McDonough on 770-288-6051, alongside Planning & Zoning, which administers the Unified Land Development Code.
Henry is unusually transparent about money. Its published fee schedule states real rates rather than pointing at a calculator: a $27.50 administrative fee applies to all permits unless noted otherwise, the minimum permit fee is $82.50 across building, trade, and development permits, and construction is valued at $4.07 per $1,000 of square footage construction cost valuation, with cell towers and manufactured homes carved out.
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →The valuation itself is not a matter of opinion. Henry County updates the valuation data table annually as published by the International Code Council, so the square-foot value applied to your project comes from a national table on a yearly refresh rather than from the number you write on the form.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Authority | Henry County Building and Plan Review Department |
| Address | 140 Henry Parkway, McDonough, GA 30253 |
| Phone | 770-288-6051 |
| Scope | Unincorporated Henry County — McDonough, Stockbridge, Hampton, and Locust Grove permit their own |
| Administrative fee | $27.50 on all permits unless noted otherwise |
| Minimum permit fee | $82.50 across building, trade, and development permits |
| Valuation rate | $4.07 per $1,000 of square footage construction cost valuation |
| Valuation table | Updated yearly, as published by the International Code Council |
Two affidavits travel with a Henry County residential submittal and both are commonly forgotten. The Georgia Energy Code Compliance Affidavit has to be completed by the builder, and the Impact Fee Affidavit addresses the fees levied to ensure adequate public facilities serve new growth. Neither is produced by the designer, so neither tends to arrive with the drawings.
The Henry County Building and Plan Review Department and the City of McDonough Building and Inspection Division sit in the same town and permit different land. McDonough runs a next-day inspection request line with a 4:00pm cutoff — requests after 4:00pm are scheduled two days out, and Friday or holiday requests before 4:00pm go to the next working day. Those are city rules, not county ones.
In 2025, building permits issued in unincorporated Henry County authorized 1,185 new privately owned housing units, all of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Henry County permits: record types and what each covers
Henry organises its fee schedule — and therefore its records — into commercial building, residential, trade, and development permits, each carrying the administrative fee and the minimum. These are the records you will file:
Residential permit types
| Permit type | What triggers it | Review path | Fee basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | New dwellings, additions, and accessory structures above the local size threshold | Full plan review against the 2024 IRC with Georgia Amendments, plus zoning | Valuation-based |
| Renovation / alteration | Structural changes, layout changes, or added plumbing, mechanical, or electrical | Plan review scaled to scope; existing-building provisions apply only where locally adopted | Valuation-based |
| Reroof | Roof covering replacement, recover, and structural deck repair | Dry-in and deck inspection; plan review rarely required | Valuation or squares |
| Solar photovoltaic | Rooftop or ground-mount arrays, with or without battery storage | Electrical review led, with structural review of the attachment | Flat or system-size based |
| Battery energy storage | Wall or floor-mounted storage added to a dwelling | Electrical review plus fire separation and location check | Flat or per-permit minimum |
| Electrical | Service changes, panel upgrades, new circuits, EV chargers, and rewiring | Trade review; filed as its own record under a Class I or Class II licence | Per-permit minimum or per-device |
| Plumbing | New piping, repipes, fixtures, gas piping, and water heater replacement | Trade review; filed under a Master Plumber Class I or Class II licence | Per-permit minimum or per-fixture |
| Mechanical / HVAC | Changeouts, new ductwork, and refrigeration | Trade review; conditioned air licence class keyed to system capacity | Per-permit minimum or per-unit |
| Deck and porch | New decks, screened porches, and structural rebuilds | Footing and framing review against the residential code | Flat or valuation-based |
| Pool and spa | In-ground and above-ground pools, spas, barriers, and bonding | Structural, barrier, and electrical bonding review under the 2024 ISPSC | Valuation-based |
| Accessory structure | Sheds, detached garages, and carports above the local size threshold | Zoning first, then structural review where applicable | Flat or valuation-based |
| Demolition | Full or partial demolition of a structure | Utility disconnect verification and asbestos notification | Flat |
| Land disturbance | Clearing, grading, and any disturbance above the local threshold | Erosion and sedimentation review on its own statutory clock | Per-acre or valuation-based |
| Impact Fee Affidavit | New growth subject to impact fees | Filed with the permit submittal | Impact fees assessed separately |
| Recorded plat copy | A lot not in a subdivision, or recently combined or divided | Obtained from Henry County Superior Court | Court copying cost |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →Commercial permit types
| Permit type | What triggers it | Review path | Fee basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| New construction | Ground-up commercial, industrial, and multifamily buildings | Full multi-discipline review; sealed plans required | Valuation-based |
| Tenant build-out | Interior fit-ups and suite build-outs in an existing shell | Concurrent building, trade, and fire review | Valuation-based |
| Renovation / alteration | Structural, envelope, or system changes to an existing building | Plan review scaled to scope; accessibility triggers attach | Valuation-based |
| Change of occupancy | Converting a building from one occupancy classification to another | Life-safety, accessibility, and zoning review | Valuation or flat |
| Shell building | A building permitted without a known tenant or use | Shell review only; no certificate of occupancy until a build-out closes | Valuation-based |
| Reroof | Commercial roof covering replacement or recover | Structural check on added dead load; fire review where applicable | Valuation or squares |
| Solar photovoltaic | Commercial rooftop, carport, and ground-mount arrays | Structural, electrical, and fire access review | Valuation or system-size based |
| Electrical | Service, distribution, and branch circuit work | Trade review; separate record from the building permit | Valuation or per-device |
| Plumbing | Supply, waste, vent, grease, and gas systems | Trade review; backflow and grease interceptor sign-offs attach | Valuation or per-fixture |
| Mechanical / HVAC | Rooftop units, ductwork, exhaust, and refrigeration | Trade review; energy compliance documented against the 2015 IECC | Valuation or per-unit |
| Fire protection | Sprinkler, standpipe, alarm, hood, and suppression systems | Fire review under the state Safety Fire Commissioner's adopted codes | Valuation or per-device |
| Sign | Wall, monument, and illuminated signage | Zoning review plus electrical where illuminated | Flat or per-sign |
| Land disturbance | Site clearing, grading, and stormwater installation | Erosion and sedimentation review as a Local Issuing Authority | Per-acre or valuation-based |
| Sealed site plan | Any project requiring a site plan | Must be created by a licensed engineer or surveyor | Professional fee |
| Cell tower project | Cell tower construction | Excluded from the standard construction cost valuation rate | Priced outside the standard rate |
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Residential
- Single-discipline review in most cases
- Trade records filed separately under Chapter 14 licences regardless of job value
- State licence required for residential work once its total value exceeds $2,500; commercial work at any value
- A private professional provider may be engaged to shorten the review path
Commercial — multi-discipline
- Concurrent review across building, trades, fire, and zoning
- Signed and sealed plans across every affected discipline
- Land-disturbance review runs on its own statutory clock under Title 12
- Accessibility and life-safety review attach to any change of occupancy
Records you will actually see in Henry County
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Residential building permit | New homes and residential structures, valued per square foot from the annual table |
| Commercial building permit | Commercial construction, valued on the same per-thousand basis |
| Trade permits (E/P/M) | Covered by the building permit fee but still separately applied for and issued |
| Development permit | Site development records, carrying the same minimum and administrative fee |
| Land disturbance permit | Issued before the building permit wherever land is disturbed |
| Manufactured home permit | Valued outside the standard per-square-foot residential basis |
| Cell tower permit | Excluded from the standard construction cost valuation rate |
| Georgia Energy Code Compliance Affidavit | Completed by the builder as part of the submittal |
Solar permits in Henry County
Solar in unincorporated Henry is filed as an electrical-led record, and the electrical permit's fee is already covered by the building permit fee where one exists — but the electrical permit still has to be applied for and issued to the licensed installer. Ground-mount arrays that disturb land need the land disturbance permit first.
Rather not deal with the Henry County building department?
Get a free quote →Roofing permits in Henry County
Reroofs in unincorporated Henry carry the same minimum permit fee and administrative fee as any other permit. If the property is inside the City of McDonough, the city's next-day inspection line closes at 4:00 p.m., with later requests scheduled two days out.
Solar and roofing work are built to the statewide codes, permit rules are set locally, and utilities run interconnection on their own timeline. Georgia rules
Henry County permit cost
Henry publishes its numbers, which makes it one of the easier Georgia counties to estimate accurately. A $27.50 administrative fee applies to all permits unless noted otherwise. The minimum permit fee is $82.50, and that minimum applies to trade permits and development permits as well as building permits. Construction is charged at $4.07 per $1,000 of square footage construction cost valuation, with cell tower projects excluded from that rate and manufactured homes valued separately.
The important subtlety is that valuation is set by table rather than by declaration. Henry updates its valuation data table annually as published by the International Code Council and applies a per-square-foot value to new residential structures — so the fee follows the table's figure for your structure type, not the contract price.
Two other items belong in the estimate. Impact fees attach on new growth and carry their own affidavit. And the land disturbance permit, which must issue before the building permit, is its own development record carrying its own minimum and administrative fee.
| Fee component | How it works |
|---|---|
| Administrative fee | $27.50 on all permits unless noted otherwise |
| Minimum permit fee | $82.50 — applies to building, trade, and development permits |
| Construction valuation | $4.07 per $1,000 of square footage construction cost valuation |
| Valuation table | Per-square-foot values updated yearly, published by the ICC |
| Carve-outs | Cell tower projects and manufactured homes valued outside the standard rate |
| Impact fees | Levied on new growth, with their own affidavit |
Want a precise number for a specific Henry County project? Send us the scope and we will price the permit path before you file.
Henry County trade permits
Henry's treatment of trade permits is generous on price and strict on process, and the two halves are easy to confuse — which is precisely how jobs end up with unpermitted systems inside a permitted building.
The fee is included; the permit is not
The building permit fee includes electrical, plumbing, and HVAC permit fees. Those permits still have to be applied for and issued — being covered by the fee does not create the record.
Issued to the licensed installer
Trade permits are issued to either the licensed installer or an appropriately licensed contractor, not to the general contractor by default.
The minimum still applies
A $82.50 minimum permit fee and a $27.50 administrative fee apply to trade permits taken on their own, which matters on small standalone trade work.
State licence still governs
Chapter 14 trade licences authorise the work regardless of job value, and the $2,500 threshold applies to the general and residential contractor licence rather than to the trades.
Georgia licenses residential contractors through a state board once a job passes $2,500, licenses commercial general contractors at any job value, and licenses electrical, plumbing and conditioned air contractors separately at any job value. Georgia rules
Henry County permit application: how to apply step by step
Here is how to get a building permit in Henry County, from confirming the requirement through to close-out. Each step below corresponds to a real decision point where projects commonly stall.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →McDonough, Stockbridge, Hampton, and Locust Grove permit their own construction, and the City of McDonough's office sits in the same town as the county's. Confirm from the parcel rather than the address.
Where land will be disturbed on the property, the land disturbance permit must be issued prior to the building permit. Treat it as the first record rather than a parallel one, and note that since July 2026 the land-disturbance track carries statutory review deadlines and a fee-refund remedy.
A copy of the recorded plat is required if the lot is not in a subdivision or the property was recently combined or divided — recorded plats come from Henry County Superior Court. A site plan is required and must be created by a licensed engineer or surveyor, not sketched in-house.
The Georgia Energy Code Compliance Affidavit is completed by the builder. The Impact Fee Affidavit covers the fees levied to ensure adequate public facilities serve new growth. Neither comes from the design set, so assign them explicitly.
A $27.50 administrative fee applies to all permits unless noted, the minimum permit fee is $82.50, and construction is charged at $4.07 per $1,000 of square footage construction cost valuation from a table the county updates yearly per the International Code Council.
The building permit fee includes electrical, plumbing, and HVAC fees, but those permits still have to be applied for and issued to the licensed installer or an appropriately licensed contractor. Then work the inspection sequence to final and certificate.
Inspections in Henry County
The Building and Plan Review Department inspects for compliance with ordinances, technical codes, and accepted industry practices, alongside its permitting and plan review functions. Requirements for the permitted work are set through the county's Unified Land Development Code, with each permittee, property owner, builder, and developer bound by the permit's terms.
Trade inspections follow the trade records rather than the building permit, which is why the county insists the trade permits are applied for and issued even though their fees are already covered. An inspector arriving to a system with no permit behind it has nothing to inspect against.
Keep the permit and approved plans on site throughout. If your project is inside the City of McDonough rather than the county, its inspection request line closes at 4:00pm for next-day scheduling. a Georgia building permit generally becomes invalid if work does not begin within 180 days of issuance, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days after commencing, under the administrative provisions of the adopted International Building and Residential Codes — local ordinance may set a different period, and extensions are usually available in writing on request.
Georgia law lets an applicant use a private professional provider for plan review, with set deadlines for the building official. Georgia rules
Henry County permit search and official resources
Henry publishes its fee schedule, submittal checklists, and department guidance through Building and Plan Review, with the Unified Land Development Code setting the underlying requirements.
- Henry County Building & Plan Review Department
- Important and useful information — forms and submittals
- City of McDonough Building & Inspection Division
- DCA — current Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes
- DCA — administration and enforcement of the state minimum codes
- Georgia Secretary of State — verify a contractor licence
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Frequently asked questions
Who issues building permits in Henry County, GA?
The Henry County Building and Plan Review Department at 140 Henry Parkway, McDonough, for unincorporated Henry County. McDonough, Stockbridge, Hampton, and Locust Grove each permit construction inside their own limits.
How much is a Henry County building permit?
A $27.50 administrative fee applies to all permits unless noted otherwise, the minimum permit fee is $82.50, and construction is charged at $4.07 per $1,000 of square footage construction cost valuation. Cell tower projects and manufactured homes are valued outside that standard rate.
How does Henry County calculate construction valuation?
From a valuation data table that the county updates on a yearly basis as published by the International Code Council, applying a per-square-foot value to the structure. The figure therefore follows the table for your structure type rather than the contract price.
Do I need a land disturbance permit before my building permit?
Yes, wherever land will be disturbed on the property. The land disturbance permit must be issued prior to the building permit, so it belongs at the front of the schedule rather than alongside it.
Does the Henry County building permit fee cover trade permits?
The building permit fee includes the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC permit fees. However those permits still have to be applied for and issued to either the licensed installer or an appropriately licensed contractor — the fee being covered does not create the record.
What is the Georgia Energy Code Compliance Affidavit?
A form the builder completes as part of the Henry County submittal, addressing compliance with the state energy code. Note that Georgia's energy code remains the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code with Georgia supplements, even though the other codes moved to their 2024 editions in January 2026.
Do I need to provide a recorded plat?
A copy of the recorded plat is required if the lot is not in a subdivision, or if the property was recently combined or divided. If the lot is in a subdivision, the plat is not required. Recorded plats are obtained from Henry County Superior Court.
Who can prepare the site plan?
A licensed engineer or surveyor. Henry requires the site plan — a graphic representation of all existing and proposed improvements, functioning as a map for the development project — to be created by one of those professionals.
What is the Impact Fee Affidavit?
A form addressing impact fees, which are levied to ensure that adequate public facilities are available to serve new growth. It accompanies the permit submittal alongside the energy code affidavit.
How do I schedule an inspection in the City of McDonough?
That is a separate authority from the county. McDonough's inspection request line takes next-day requests before 4:00pm; requests after 4:00pm are scheduled two days out, and requests made on a Friday or holiday before 4:00pm are scheduled for the next working day.
What code does Henry County enforce?
The Georgia State Minimum Standard Codes — the 2024 International Building and Residential Codes with Georgia Amendments and the 2023 National Electrical Code with the 2026 Georgia Amendments, effective January 1, 2026. The energy code remains the 2015 IECC with Georgia supplements.
When is a Georgia contractor licence required?
For residential work, once the total value of the work, or the contractor's compensation if higher, exceeds $2,500; commercial general contractors need a licence at any value. An unlicensed contractor's contract for licensable work is unenforceable by that contractor, who also cannot file a lien or make a bond claim.
Simplify Henry County permitting with Alliance Permitting
Henry publishes more of its arithmetic than most Georgia counties, which makes it easy to estimate and easy to under-prepare. The traps are procedural rather than financial: a land disturbance permit that has to come first, two affidavits nobody on the design team produces, a site plan that must be sealed by an engineer or surveyor, and trade permits whose fees are already paid but whose records still have to exist. A permit expediter for Henry County closes all four.
Trusted by leading builders, developers, and national contractors — 21+ years of filing in the jurisdictions we write about.
Contractors and builders choose Alliance for Henry County because the work is done by people who have stood at the counter:
- Right sequence — land disturbance issued before the building permit, not chased alongside it.
- Complete submittals — energy code and impact fee affidavits, sealed site plan, and recorded plat where the lot calls for one.
- Complete oversight — every Henry permit, trade record, and inspection tracked across your jobs in one place.
Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and expediting service. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice, and we are not the permitting authority.
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More Georgia permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Henry County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.